Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully you will find the answer to your query below but if not do feel free to send me an email and I will do my best to provide you with an answer.
Exclusive and Video Club memberships have complete access to all my tutorials. These include all those in the back catalogue and any new tutorials added during that membership. All the tutorials are available 24/7 watch them whenever and how often you like.
Yes you can and we would recommend that you do. The Freebie Club gives you access to free full length tutorials. These will give you an insight into how I paint and whether you like my style of teaching.
My tutorials are suitable for all levels of ability. Each individual tutorial is marked as suitable for beginners, intermediate or advanced level. This is really just a basic guide. I have known complete beginners tackle the advanced projects and achieve fabulous results. Likewise those with a bit more experience who love the beginner pieces. If you like the look of a painting just simply give it a go!
To get started you will need some watercolour brushes, I recommend a size 00, 1, 5 & 18 alongside a mop brush and a mixing brush. Obviously watercolour paper and some paints. Whilst I have my favourites and tend to use these all the time, I am a great believer in using what you already have. You may already have a kit full of paints that you like – use these! Learn which colours you need to mix to achieve similar results and go from there. In time you may want to add to your kit but there is no need to do this straight away. I tend to say buy the best that you can afford as this will give you more consistent and vibrant results. Each tutorial does of course come with a material list and a list of recommended colours for the project.
You certainly do not! Whilst free hand drawing is obviously a really good skill to have and practise, there are various ways of preparing an outline drawing for a painting. I go through these in my tutorials. My personal opinion is do what works for you, the time you have and your personal skills and abilities. Each tutorial comes with a reference photo and prepared outline drawing which you can simply transfer to your watercolour paper to get started.
If you are a member of the PDF or Video Club on Patreon, you cannot log in to the website you are on at the moment. This is my personal website and not my Patreon channel. Exclusive Club members do however have access, so email if you are having problems. You can however find all the tutorials on Patreon by clicking here.
You can take a look at a carousel of all the tutorials currently available. In addition, we have a whole library of short tips, tricks and technique videos too.
New tutorials are added every month. The main project is usually wildlife based, and is usually between 2 and 5 hours long. Any extra shorter projects will vary in length and focus. You will find specific studies, small fun projects and also smaller wildlife pieces.
This is not a facility that we currently offer. All the tutorials are available 24/7 throughout the length of your membership period. You can pause, rewind and watch them as many times as you like. Alternatively, I do have a small selection of my older videos available for individual paid rental or download in my Video Shop and an even smaller selection for sale as DVDs.
A mini PDF contains a list of recommended materials, the reference photo for the project, my outline drawing guide and a copy of my version of the painting. For all Exclusive level tutorials, there is a mini PDF for you to download and refer to. In addition, I also provide the reference photo and outline drawing as JPEG downloads. All the links for these downloads are included on the individual tutorial pages.
I release one full length PDF guide every month, these are available to all students with an active paid membership plan. If you remain a member for 1 month you will receive 1 PDF, if you remain for a whole year you will receive 12 PDFs.
Previously released PDFs are available from here, an active Exclusive Club membership will entitle you to 25% off the list price.
Sadly not, some PDFs were written before I started filming tutorials and some were written for magazines. You can see what videos are available by viewing the tutorial carousel.
You definitely can. As part of your membership, you will be able to join the Wildlife in Watercolour Facebook group. Here you can share your work-in-progress or finished paintings, and feel free to simply ask for support there too. Paul is as active as he can be within the group and will give specific feedback when he is able.
Your fellow students are a great source of support. Many will be further along in their watercolour journey and may have already completed tutorials you are working on. Others will be new to the whole medium and will therefore have a completely different ability to support too.
I have created these tutorials for students to have a go at. At the end of the lesson, I hope you have a painting that you are proud of. I would be thrilled if you would display it on your wall, give it to a friend, put it in a local exhibition or showcase it on the internet. Online, I would request that you mention you have followed my tutorial. Should you be able, it would also be nice to credit the photographer too for their reference material.
Should you wish to sell the painting, it is polite amongst the art community to acknowledge the original artist. My tutorials are educational, and you created the piece as a student. Should you then go on to sell the painting, you have then become a professional artist. Your copy of my work should be acknowledged as such to your buyers. An addition under your signature “after Paul Hopkinson” or “Inspired by Paul Hopkinson” are a simple way of demonstrating respect and honesty within the art world.
All paid membership plans can be cancelled at any time. Log into your Patreon account to make these changes before a renewal payment is due to be taken. (Partial plan refunds are not available)
First of all I apologise. I try to respond to all emails within 24 hours so please check your spam folder as sometimes my messages end up there. 😢
Alternatively please contact me via social media – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Pinterest.
Membership Explained